Dish From Bette Midler's Opening Night Of I'll Eat You Last

This comes from a source, not from me first-hand, because my invite obviously got lost in the mail along with all the other good stuff.

Anyway, the first one to leap to their feet at the curtain?

Ali MacGraw, who was way ahead of everyone else! I guess Ali liked the part where Bette's character (agent Sue Mengers) talked about begging Ali not to give up her career for horrible Steve McQueen, though the Love Story star stubbornly ignored her advice. Maybe Ali was thinking, "Brava, Sue! You were right!"

But not everyone was impressed with the evening's verisimilitude. After the show, one power broad said to Fran Lebowitz, "Sue would have loved it" and Fran deadpanned, "They got the house right."

The party at the Tea Room was overflowing with Hollywood types, including Susan Sarandon with her 30-something man, word wafting through the room that one of them had said the two of them are engaged. I guess they'll be sporting his-and-hers Ping Pong paddles soon enough.

Other murmurs claimed that Donna Karan was throwing a birthday bash for Barbra downtown, and they had to hold dinner because so many of the guests were at Bette's event.

I'm not surprised Barbra may have been throwing a competing event. After all, Bette's play has Mengers praising Barbra's taste--except in the roles she plays!